Under the Radar

Robinson, Long do ‘dirty work’ for Martinsburg

March 11, 2013

MARTINSBURG - Jordan Robinson came to Martinsburg with high expectations.

It would be hard to argue that the senior hasn't achieved just that.

Maybe not the way he expected.

Article Photos

Journal photo by Ron AgnirMartinsburg’s Jordan?Robinson, left, and David Long, right, compete against Musselman earlier this season. Both are key components to the Bulldogs’ success this season.

Fellow senior David Long, on the other hand, came up through the ranks and always knew what his role was going to be when he hit the high school hardwood.

The two are key cogs on a Martinsburg team that enters the state tournament Wednesday as the Class AAA's top seed. They are the prototypical role players. It's a role the two relish.

"Me and Jordan do the kinds of stuff that fans don't really see," Long said. "We're going to play defense and get steals. We're going to get some rebounds. We are going to do whatever it takes. We have scorers. You need to have guys willing to do the other things."

"We do whatever is necessary," Robinson said. "We do the dirty work, as I like to call it. What we do is work our butts off to get the ball to our guys who score. When I have to score, I can score. But we have guys who are good at that. Sometimes you have to play a role. That's what we do."

Robinson came to Martinsburg from Hedgesville, after his mother relocated to Martinsburg before his freshman season.

He had always been his team's leading scorer and saw no reason why that pattern wouldn't continue. At least initially.

"In middle school, I had always been one of the scorers, and I guess, in my mind, I figured that I would be in that same type of role," Robinson said.

"Of course, by the time I was a sophomore, it was pretty obvious we already had some scorers here with Buddha (Donte' Grantham) and Jalen (Lewis). It was a major change, but I was more than willing to do it."

For Long, he never fancied himself much anyway.

"If points come, they come, but I would rather be the guy who does things to get the ball to guys who score," Long said.

He is all too happy doing the things that don't get noticed.

Not to say that that "dirty work," as Robinson likes to call it, isn't sometimes rewarded by points.

In Martinsburg's 88-56 win over Elkins in the Class AAA, Region II championship, Robinson had 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting, showing flashes of his former scoring prowess. He also had five steals, two assists and zero turnovers.

For the season, Robinson averages 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals. He averages 2.2 assists and 0.9 turnovers per game as well.

Long, too, was rewarded against Elkins. He came off the bench to score nine points (4 of 8 shooting) with four rebounds, two steals, two assists and zero turnovers.

On the season he averages 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and has 36 steals and 43 assists. He averages just over a turnover a game (1.04).

Coach Dave Rogers nicknamed Long the "Energizer Bunny."

"I love that kid, he has a motor that won't quit," Rogers said, "He's the Energizer Bunny, man."

"I love that," Long said. "That's my role, to energize the team."

Rogers said that consistency has been Robinson's trademark.

"Jordan does whatever we ask him to do, whether it is playing defense, rebounding, and even scoring if we need him to do that," Rogers said. "His play has been consistent, as his numbers suggest."

"For me, I get more satisfaction from getting a steal," Robinson said. "A lot of times, you can get points off steals like that. I think my dunk against Elkins came off a steal."

Robinson is also a standout on the Martinsburg state championship football team and has offers to play in college. Shepherd and the University of Charleston remain in the mix.

Robinson admits that basketball is his sport of choice, though.

He has offers collegiately to play at Shenandoah University in Winchester and Eastern Mennonite in Harrisonburg, Va.

Rogers recently sent some tape to Chaminade in Hawaii, and Robinson is hopeful that something will come from it.

While they might not show up on the scoring line, Robinson and Long will be in the thick of things when Martinsburg kicks off the state tournament at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday against Huntington.